Autumn Kurtz

Autumn Sample Kurtz is the senior director of development for the Economic Security and Technology Department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. She has 17 years of frontline fundraising experience with political campaigns, nonprofit organizations, and higher education. Previously, Kurtz served as the director of philanthropy at the Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE), where she managed individual giving. Prior to PIIE, Kurtz supported the University of Virginia Center for Politics and its founder, Larry Sabato, in fundraising initiatives and board relations. Kurtz also served as an executive director of Tech4America, a nonpartisan nonprofit based in San Francisco, pairing technology executives with public officials to incubate public-private partnerships. Kurtz’s early career included organizing and fundraising on three presidential campaigns and a senatorial race. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Purdue University in political science and public relations, which she achieved on an athletic scholarship. She served as the co-captain of the Purdue Women's Swimming and Diving team, was awarded the Red Mackey Award by her teammates, and annually named to the Academic All-Big Ten.